Juniper, 21 The Downs, Altrincham, WA14 2QD

The Michelin star'd Juniper in Altrincham really made me wish I'd brought a pen and notebook as there's no way I'm going to do justice to their own descriptions of the wildly inventive, but exquisitely balanced food on display. I was pretty sure that there was nothing I was going to eat this month that would match the astonishing, and sometimes perturbing, food at Manresa in Saratoga but Paul Kitching’s Juniper at least matched it in invention and execution, if not in scale.

The meal included three "proper" courses and both an amuse and a pre-dessert as well. The mini-courses were wildest of all: a shot of a bean "juice" to start and a cornflake, milk and Loveheart micro-dessert. From the regular courses a chorizo and mushroom starter was layered to spectacular, revelatory effect and the trio of desserts simply made you wish it had been a sextet (a winter trifle was particularly good). The main course of venison, a special, was served in a rather narrow, deep bowl that demanded a surgeon's skill to cut the meat and extract it for eating. The reward was significant though: the meat perfectly cooked (medium, to my preference) and accompanied by wisps of vegetables, intense foams and, bizarrely, a small slice of chocolate tart.

At £200 (before tip) for a meal for four, with a nice Sancerre, Juniper is a bargain of the highest order. And on top of the stunning food is engaging and very friendly, conversational, service that takes the edge of the experimental dishes and provides a bridge to access this amazing food.

Straight into my all time top tables. I can't wait to get back there.